


Counting Days

by BaileyBelle



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-14
Updated: 2015-12-14
Packaged: 2018-05-06 14:47:28
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 519
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5421065
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BaileyBelle/pseuds/BaileyBelle
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>This is a angsty snippet of young Killian Jones and young Emma Swan. It's inspired by little Killian in Once Upon a Time 5x11 “Swan Song” and this dialog from 3x05 “Good Form”:</p>
<p>Emma: Look here.  Neal stopped counting.<br/>Mary Margret: 'Cause he got off the island.<br/>Emma: He was here longer.<br/>David: Then why would he...<br/>Emma: Because he lost hope.<br/>....<br/>Hook: Swan.<br/>Emma: What? We're wasting time.<br/>Hook: I, uh... I just wanted to let you know that I do know what it feels like, to lose hope.</p>
<p>TW for brief verbal abuse and domestic violence between OCs.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Counting Days

Killian used his pocket knife to carefully carve another mark into his bunk bed. He replaced the mattress exactly. “Wouldn’t want Captain Abraham to see these,” he whispered.

“Why do you persist in that pointless exercise?” Liam called from the top bunk. One foot, quickly growing too large for his worn boot, hung beside Killian’s face.

“I want to make sure he lets us go once we’ve served our two years.” It was an old argument, as old as the marks on Killian’s bunk.

Liam snorted. “And you really think he’ll believe marks on a bit of wood? No, little brother, we must serve our days to our best abilities, avoid penalties for bad behavior, and hope that Abraham will let us go.”

Killian drew back the mattress and traced the marks with one finger, counting. Liam was snoring long before Killian got to the third row. 156. 157. 158.

Maybe Liam was right. Killian imagined Captain Abraham’s response to being told he was wrong. Showing him the marks that proved they had served their time, and the debt their father incurred for the rowboat was repaid in full. It would probably end up with Killian being whipped. He traced the freshest mark. Maybe it was hopeless to continue counting. He snarled and slammed the mattress back into place.

* * *

 

“You’ll never amount to anything, you worthless piece of shit!”

“Why bother trying? Anytime I bring any money into this house, you waste it on those foster kids!”

“They have a brighter future than you, Mr. Dead-end-dock-worker.”

Emma smothered the pillow over her face to try and drown out the sound of her foster parents fighting. They had seemed so nice and polite during the interview. There had been the occasional nitpick towards each other, which nearly always ended with the other acquiescing with a “Yes, Dear.” Emma had brushed off her uneasiness with those exchanges, and now she wished he hadn’t.

Emma shifted the pillow so she could see, and fumbled in her jeans pocket to pull out her orange highlighter. With her left hand still clutching the pillow to her ear, Emma lifted the blankets away from the wall. There were her marks. 38 days. Her foster parents had been much faster to reveal their true natures than the last house.

With careful precision, she placed the marker to make a new tick. 39.

The wall next to her bed shook as something was thrown against it. Emma jerked in response, leaving an orange streak up the wall. The woman was screaming now, incoherent angry words, and the man was hollering back, frustration causing his voice to crack.

Emma licked her fingers and tried to wipe the highlighter off with trembling hands. It was no use. It was dried up. Hopeless. She was trapped here with these insane people and no one would believe her when she said why she wanted to leave.

Climbing to her feet, Emma began stuffing her belongings into her backpack. Her baby blanket, her treasure box, and a couple changes of clothes. They were still screaming when the front door closed behind her.


End file.
